A classic car and bike show with a twist is coming to York this weekend.
Cold War Wheels 2025 will bring together vehicles dating from the Sixties and the Eighties, when the East and West were at loggerheads.
The show is at Yorkshire Air Museum in Elvington on Sunday (15 June).
It’s held against a backdrop of the museum’s collection of Cold War jets, from giant bombers to supersonic fighters.
Among the vehicles on show will be icons of the time like the Ford Capri, Triumph Stag and even a Sinclar C5 plastic scooter.
Yorkshire Air Museum spokesperson Jerry Ibbotson said: “The Cold War cast a huge shadow over people’s lives and a great way to reflect on that period is by revisiting the cars and bikes we saw on the roads at the time.
“Combine that with our incredible Cold War collection, throw in some period music, and you’ve got a great event.”
Cold War Wheels is now in its third year. More than 130 vehicles are currently booked to exhibit including a double decker bus and the museum’s own 1970s airport crash truck.
Jerry added: “Visitors can also learn more about an icon of the Cold War that sits in the heart of York – the Royal Observer Corps bunker in Holgate.
“This was where a group of volunteers trained for the event of the Cold War turning hot: nuclear conflict.”
The museum is hosting a talk, ‘Watching for Armageddon – the Royal Observer Corps in Yorkshire’, by historian Graham Cook, along with trustee Tim Kitching, who was in the ROC and worked in the bunker.
And they’re reviving a series of short videos – Cold War Stories – the museum produced in 2023 for its Cold War exhibition that year.
These are first-hand accounts of the period – from a nuclear bomber pilot to someone who grew up in the Soviet Union – that will play in the museum cinema all day.
It’s normal entry prices for Cold War Wheels – more details here.